Domestic Violence

Domestic Violence Legal Advocate Initiative: Justice for Survivors in Arizona

sierra-chacona@lsc.gov — Tue, 05 Aug 2025 15:44:55 +0000

Domestic Violence Legal Advocate Initiative: Justice for Survivors in Arizona sierra-chacona… Tue, 08/05/2025 - 11:44

Read how Innovation for Justice trains community-based justice workers to provide trauma-informed, limited-scope legal advice and assistance to domestic violence survivors.

Domestic Violence Legal Advocate Initiative: Justice for Survivors in Arizona

Grantees will learn how Innovation for Justice (i4J):

1. Leveraged unauthorized practice of law reform to open a pathway for community-based justice workers to provide legal assistance;

2. Employed a design- and systems-thinking approach to develop a course to train Domestic Violence Legal Advocates (DVLAs);

3. Piloted and launched the DVLA program across Arizona.

View Case Study

"Thanks to the continued demonstration of the [DVLA Initiative], Arizona became the first state to codify CBJW service models."

Antonio Coronado

Professor of Practice, Innovation for Justice

More on Providing Legal Services

Visit this MPI topic page to explore providing legal services resources.

Explore Providing Legal Services Resources

More Model Practices and Innovations

Visit this page to explore additional Model Practices and Innovations resources.

Explore Model Practices and Innovations Resources

Family Law Domestic Violence

Arizona

Talk Justice: Episode Twenty Four

richardsons@lsc.gov — Tue, 14 Dec 2021 18:37:19 +0000

Talk Justice: Episode Twenty Four richardsons@lsc.gov Tue, 12/14/2021 - 13:37

Access to Justice Forum | October 19, 2021

yanezc@lsc.gov — Thu, 30 Sep 2021 18:07:56 +0000

Access to Justice Forum | October 19, 2021 yanezc@lsc.gov Thu, 09/30/2021 - 14:07

October 19, 2021 • 1:00pm - 3:00pm •

Zoom

Conference / Forum

The Forum on Increasing Access to Justice will take place on Tuesday, October 19, 2021, from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. ET.

You are welcome to watch the event live on LSC’s Facebook page. You do not need a Facebook account. If you are prompted to log in to view, click the “not now” option.

You may view the program with event details and a full list of participants here. Speakers and panelists include:

Gene B. Sperling, White House American Rescue Plan Coordinator and Senior Advisor to the President
Reginald M. Turner, Jr., President, American Bar Association
The Honorable Fred Upton, U.S. Representative, Michigan's 6th congressional district
The Honorable Bridget Mary McCormack, Chief Justice, Michigan Supreme Court; Chair, Access and Fairness Committee, Conference of Chief Justices
Meredith Bruch, Staff Attorney, Yakima, Northwest Justice Project
Cesiah Guadarrama Trejo, Co-Associate State Director, 9to5 Colorado
Nick Smithberg, Executive Director, Iowa Legal Aid
Esther Sullivan, Assistant Professor of Sociology, University of Colorado Denver
The Honorable Jason D. Dodson, Circuit Court Judge, Division 10, 21st Judicial Court of Missouri
Brittany Hightower, Staff Attorney, Individual Safety Unit, Lone Star Legal Aid
TeAndra M. Miller, Managing Attorney and Project Director, Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault Practice Group, Legal Aid of North Carolina
Pamela Roychaudhury, Managing Attorney, Legal Aid of Western Missouri
Deborah J. Vagins, President & CEO, National Network to End Domestic Violence

Virtual

Topics

Domestic Violence

Housing / Evictions

Members of Congress Join ��˶�� for Virtual Briefing on Domestic Violence During the Coronavirus Pandemic

admin — Thu, 07 May 2020 17:32:51 +0000

Members of Congress Join ��˶�� for Virtual Briefing on Domestic Violence During the Coronavirus Pandemic admin Thu, 05/07/2020 - 13:32

How Legal Aid Helps Domestic Violence Survivors

admin — Tue, 28 Aug 2018 14:28:05 +0000

How Legal Aid Helps Domestic Violence Survivors admin Tue, 08/28/2018 - 10:28

The ��˶�� (LSC) is the single largest funder of civil legal assistance in the country. LSC promotes access to justice by funding high-quality civil legal assistance for low-income Americans. The Corporation currently funds 132 local legal aid programs in every congressional district and the U.S. territories. With more than 855 offices nationwide, these programs help people escape domestic violence, assist veterans, help families with housing issues, and help seniors ward off consumer scams.

LSC grantees help constituents who live in households with annual incomes at or below 125% of the federal poverty guidelines. Family law cases, including domestic violence, represent the largest category of cases closed by LSC grantees each year. Low-income survivors of domestic violence seek professional legal help for only 23% of their problems. In 2018, LSC grantees reported a total of 129,186 domestic violence cases, the highest number recorded since LSC began collecting such data in 2011.

LSC grantees provide legal assistance to domestic violence survivors in many different areas of the law. Grantees prevent future violence by:

Obtaining, renewing, and enforcing protective orders in court.
Securing child custody orders so that a parent and children can legally and safely leave the abusive spouse and/or parent.
Providing other legal services in matters related to separation and divorce proceedings such as employment, financial, and housing problems.

Survivors rate the filing of a protective order as one of the two most effective tools for stopping domestic violence, second only to leaving the abuser. An academic study by two economists found that increased access to civil legal aid was one of three major factors correlating with the 21% decline in the incidence of domestic violence from 1993 to 1998. The economists concluded that civil legal aid is more effective than access to shelters or counseling services in reducing domestic violence. The Office of Justice Programs at the Department of Justice found that obtaining a permanent protection order results in a statistically significant reduction (80%) in police reported physical violence in the subsequent 12 months.

In addition to supporting domestic violence survivors, legal aid attorneys help their clients gain economic independence and rebuild their lives. Civil legal aid reduces repeat incidents of domestic violence, thus cutting public spending on medical care, special education and counseling for affected children, as well as police resources. Collateral effects include: improved workplace productivity and fewer lost wages. Legal aid for victims of domestic violence promotes individual empowerment and self-reliance by giving people the tools and knowledge to access the civil court system to protect and exercise their rights.

Domestic Violence

small

Congressional Briefing to Highlight Legal Aid’s Role in Protecting Domestic Violence Survivors

admin — Tue, 24 Oct 2017 17:55:36 +0000

Congressional Briefing to Highlight Legal Aid’s Role in Protecting Domestic Violence Survivors admin Tue, 10/24/2017 - 13:55

Domestic Violence

Domestic Violence Legal Advocate Initiative: Justice for Survivors in Arizona

Domestic Violence Legal Advocate Initiative: Justice for Survivors in Arizona

Montana Legal Services Association: Traveling the Distance to Train Tribal Lay Advocates

Alaska ���˶���: Moving Beyond Lawyer-Based Solutions with Community Justice Workers

Colorado Legal Services: Shaping Stories through Impact Advocacy and Litigation

More on Providing Legal Services

More Model Practices and Innovations

Talk Justice: Episode Twenty Four

Access to Justice Forum | October 19, 2021

Members of Congress Join ���˶��� for Virtual Briefing on Domestic Violence During the Coronavirus Pandemic

How Legal Aid Helps Domestic Violence Survivors

Congressional Briefing to Highlight Legal Aid’s Role in Protecting Domestic Violence Survivors

Alaska ��˶��: Moving Beyond Lawyer-Based Solutions with Community Justice Workers

Members of Congress Join ��˶�� for Virtual Briefing on Domestic Violence During the Coronavirus Pandemic